Kailash Sacred Landscape Conservation Initiative: Feasibility Assessment Report

The Kailash Sacred Landscape (KSL) spreads across a vast region that includes remote portions of the Tibet Autonomous Region of China (TAR China) and contiguous areas of Nepal and India. This area is historically, ecologically, and culturally interconnected; it is the source of four of Asia’s most important rivers, and at the heart of this landscape is the sacred Mount Kailash, revered by millions of people in Asia and throughout the world. The region and its people are highly vulnerable to climate change and environmental degradation, as well as threats associated with ongoing globalisation processes and accelerating development. The Kailash Sacred Landscape Conservation Initiative (KSLCI) is an attempt on the part of the three neighbouring countries to join hands to help preserve the unique biological diversity, the many ecosystem goods and services, and the value-based cultural heritage of one of the most revered and sacred landscapes in the world. The present report is a summarised synthesis of three individual Country Feasibility Assessment Reports, based on extensive field work and consultations aimed at delineating the target landscape and preparing a needs analysis for the KSL in general, and the KSLCI in particular.